


Long Ago in a place of hearts and ghosts

by smaragdbird



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, First Kiss, Getting Together, Han Solo and Chewbacca cameos, M/M, POV Lando Calrissian, Pre-Canon, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Tatooine (Star Wars), Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:27:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23909200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird
Summary: Needing to get off the Empire's radar for a bit, Lando takes a job on rural Tatooine as a prospector for a year. While staying at Tosche Station, he meets Luke Skywalker, who quickly becomes fascinated with Lando and offers to accompany him during his trips into the Tatooine desert. Together they face sandstorms, local gossip and a krayt dragon.Lando likes Luke but he knows his time on Tatooine is limited and he's sworn to himself never to fall in love again after losing L3.
Relationships: Lando Calrissian/Luke Skywalker
Comments: 13
Kudos: 32
Collections: Star Wars Big Bang 2020





	Long Ago in a place of hearts and ghosts

**Author's Note:**

> Beta-read by the awesome [chaos_monkey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaos_monkey) who did a wonderful job putting up with my mistakes and non-native English, all remaining mistakes are mine and mine alone. They're also an author, so go and check out their stories as well :)
> 
> Fantastic Art by the equally fantastic [Amrita_Vein](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amrita_Vein), go check it out [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24012340)and leave her a comment or twelve <3
> 
> And, last but not least, the idea for this story was originally prompted by V-Bird, in a comment on my first Luke/Lando fic. That was all the way back in October 2017 and this story is actually only the first half of that prompt. But, dear V-Bird, if you're seeing this, I do hope you like it
> 
> Edit: found them <3 Thank you for your awesome prompt even if it took me ages to write it [Adam29](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adam29/pseuds/Adam29)

Lando’s first impression of Tatooine was that it could have been worse. He had seen many backwater planets before and while the hot dry air burned in his lungs, it was at least fresh. There also hadn’t been graphic warnings of acid inhalation, fungal infections or internal frostbite on the way out of the space port so he guessed this was as bad as it was going to get.

For such a thinly populated planet, MosEisley was surprisingly busy. Street vendors were loudly praising their wares while people of a surprisingly high variety of species walked by. According to his research, this was the second biggest settlement on Tatooine, which meant it had less inhabitants than a single block on Coruscant. The whole planet had less.

Then again, he had come here because the Empire had nothing but a single garrison stationed in MosEspa, which was on the other side of the planet, and even that only to save face. In truth the Hutt Clan controlled Tatooine. And the Hutt Clan had given the Czerka Mining Cooperation permission to prospect the Jundland Wastes for precious metals.

This had been attempted countless times before and failed just as often, but Lando hadn’t asked what made Czerka so certain that this time would be more successful. They didn’t pay him to ask questions. They hadn’t asked too many questions either. Apparently not many people wanted to go to Tatooine. 

It was easy to find a transport from MosEisley to Anchorhead, which was at the edge of the Jundland Wastes. From there he would have to find his way to Tosche Station, which was supposed to be his base of operations for the next year.

Mentally, Lando rolled his eyes. Czerka made it sound all official and busy but Lando was sure that this whole scheme was nothing more than an elaborate tax write off. Although one that came at a convenient time for him.

The transport was mercifully air conditioned but crowded, not just with people but all sorts of electronics and consumables. Very little grew on Tatooine and even less was edible to non-native species so most of the food was imported.

As they were travelling over a sea of sand, Lando paid attention to what people, especially other humans, were wearing. He had learned the hard way to dress appropriately for planets with an extreme climate. The less said about the mud pit that was Jabiim the better.

The people here seemed to favour loose and light-coloured clothes as well as good, sturdy boots. Not what he liked to wear but Lando was here to blend in, not stand out. He would need to get new clothes anyway since most of his possessions were on the Falcon, and with the Empire breathing down his neck he had let Han borrow her. And no matter how Han was feeling about the matter, it really was just borrowing. The Falcon was always going to be Lando’s ship, however many times Han tried to cheat her out from under him at cards.

They arrived at Anchorhead just when the twin suns were sinking into the horizon and life came crawling out of the various holes and niches it had hidden in during the day. With its 6 000 inhabitants, Anchorhead was the largest settlement of the Jundland Wastes. Further out was nothing but moisture farms and herders grouped around solitary repair stations like the one Lando was supposed to live in.

Czerka had an office in Anchorhead so that was where Lando went first. After introductions had been made, the local official, a Twi’lek called Min who spoke basic with a strong accent, proved to be both informative and unhelpful. 

Apparently, most of the necessary materials had already been moved to Tosche Station, except for the speeder, which they were waiting for to arrive from off-world but that could take a few more weeks. Lando was free to buy his own or use animal transport but Czerka wouldn’t be able to compensate him for that. And no, Min didn’t know how else he could get to Tosche Station but his contract and therefore his pay would only start once he arrived there.

Maybe he could try asking one of the locals for a lift, Min suggested helpfully just as Lando was leaving the climate-controlled office to step back out into the heat of a Tatooine evening. 

Around him, people were milling around, having a drink or dinner. Music was playing from the open windows of a tavern somewhere and traders were trying to get rid of their leftovers from the morning, loudly praising their fruits, meats and other perishable goods.

On a whim and because he would need to get used to the food here anyway, Lando bought a green fruit that had a slightly sour taste, a bread-like loaf of something called lamta that had a strange texture but didn’t taste too bad and a bowl of spicy ahrisa balls. 

After seeing the water prices, Lando decided to wash everything down with some bantha milk as he wandered the main streets of Anchorhead. Despite its size and location, the town was inhabited by a surprisingly large number of people from species from all over the galaxy. Probably due to Tatooine’s long history as a criminal and slave trading centre.

In a tailor shop, Lando bought clothes more suited to the local environment and the work he was supposed to do here but that didn’t mean he didn’t insist on a few extras to make them more wearable. He could feel the tailor judging him but they had most likely never left Tatooine and their understanding of fashion was limited by that. 

With the boots though, Lando had to put his trust in their knowledge, experience and the extra credits he had paid to make sure he got the best they had. Good shoe work wasn’t something one should scrimp on.

Finally, there was nothing left for him to do but to find a guesthouse and stay his first night on Tatooine. The first of a lot of nights. Lando tried to be optimistic. He was comparably safe from the Empire and so far, it hadn’t been too bad.

Of course, he also hadn’t arrived at his final destination yet and from what he had been able to find out, Tosche Station only had a customer base of around a hundred people. He also still had to find transportation to get there, but that was tomorrow’s problem. 

Anchorhead had one guest house and a sparsely populated one at that. Still, it was a bed for the night and a meal in the morning, and perhaps he’d be lucky and the owner could point him in the way of someone going to Tosche Station. 

The room had no bed, merely a pallet made of some kind of soft grass with a pillow and a thin blanket. Usually Lando preferred his lodgings to be a bit more comfortable, after all what was life without indulging in pleasure, but it seemed that Tatooine disagreed with him on this.

He slept well regardless. Lando had never been one to let his situation get in the way of a good night’s sleep. The meal was simple, he recognised the lamta plus there was half a gourd and some flowers. At first he hesitated, thinking maybe they were decorative, but then he saw the other two guests eat theirs so he followed suit. Tatooine, he was learning quickly, had no space for purely aesthetic things.

“Thank you kindly,” Lando told the owner, a tradoshan named Gelio, as he was leaving. “I had a much better time staying here than in MosEisley.”

“No wonder,” Gelio grunted. “That’s a hive of thieves and scum you won’t find anywhere else in the galaxy.”

Lando could name three places of the top of his head that were worse, but instead nodded obligingly. “Well, let me thank you for your hospitality anyway.”

“You’re welcome.” There had been a little pause, as if Gelio wasn’t used to receiving compliments.

“I don’t mean to impose further but I need to go to Tosche Station. Would you happen to know someone who is going there anytime soon?”

Gelio scratched their chin. “Go to the western gate. People from the Salt Flats usually arrive and leave from there. “

“Much obliged,” Lando replied with a flourish little bow and breathing a kiss against their hand. Gelio would definitely remember him in the future.

It was early enough that it wasn’t unbearably hot yet, making his walk across Anchorhead to the Western gate a pleasant one. The streets were busy, but as soon as the suns rose too high, they’d be deserted by most. 

After a few words with the guards, Lando was pointed in the direction of a speeder belonging to a certain Luke Skywalker who apparently lived as close to Tosche Station as anyone on the Salt Flats did. There was no one there, no doubt this Skywalker guy had business to attend to somewhere in Anchorhead. 

The town was small enough that Lando had seen most of it yesterday but he did another tour for good measure, through the smaller streets and along the walls this time, before the suns rose higher and forced every sensible person inside.

Lando found the equivalent of a tea house except that the beverage was a dark, milky substance that smelled terrible, and listened to the conversations around him. The most popular topics were attacks from Sand People, Jawa trade routes, local gossip that was meaningless to him at the moment and a few grumblings about the Empire, either their presence in MosEspa or their absence from the rest of Tatooine.

Eventually, the suns started to sink again and people left, going back to whatever business had been left on hold since the morning. Lando paid a few compliments to the owner and silently swore to himself to never drink this stuff again.

/

“Luke Skywalker?”

“Yeah?” He was younger than Lando would’ve thought, in his early twenties if that. Few things made one age faster than constant sunlight and outdoor work. 

“Lando Calrissian,” Lando said and offered his hand. Luke took it, but instead of shaking it, Lando changed his mind and pulled Luke’s hand up, breathing a kiss over his knuckles. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Luke let out a soft gasp and blushed bright red. “Can…can I help you?”

“I hope so,” Lando gave him a winning smile. He lowered their hands but didn’t let go yet. “I’ve been told you might be able to give me a ride to Tosche Station.”

“Uhm, yes, I can do that.”

“Thank you kindly,” Lando replied, squeezing Luke’s hand before letting go and watched him blush even harder. This was almost too easy.

“Are you the new prospector from Czerka?”

“I see news travel fast around here,” Lando smiled. He was still standing a little too close to Luke. Most people would’ve stepped away already and that Luke hadn’t was encouraging.

“They brought over a bunch of stuff weeks ago,” Luke told him. “We don’t get many new people out in the Salt Flats.”

“I hope we’ll be good neighbours then,” Lando said with a wink. “Especially as I won’t have a speeder for the near future.”

Luke rolled his eyes. It looked adorable, even if Lando would never admit to having such a thought. “Czerka always do this to the new ones. One year the prospector was too impatient and bought a dewback instead.”

“What happened to them?”

“Don’t know, they never came back. Though that meant the next prospector had a speeder upon arrival.” Luke looked him over. “Have you done this before?”

“Once or twice, it’s not what I usually go in for,” Lando admitted because it was easy to guess from his demeanour. 

“What do you usually do then?” To Luke this was clearly a normal question with no pitfalls, for Lando it was a little trickier.

“Independent transport mostly,” he shrugged as if it was no big deal.

“You’re a smuggler?” 

Was he imagining it or did Luke’s eyes become a little brighter? Young Skywalker had the beginnings of a rebel in him if this was how he reacted to a new acquaintance possibly being a criminal.

“Absolutely not,” Lando replied. “Smuggling implies illegality and my paperwork is always perfect.”

“But why take this job then?” Luke asked. Tatooine’s inhabitants were certainly a direct bunch.

“You must allow a man to keep some secrets,” Lando replied smoothly, watching Luke blush again, with embarrassment this time.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No need to apologise. I only fear that if I tell you everything about me now, you’ll find me terribly dull in the months to come,” Lando explained enjoying the incredulous look Luke gave him, as if ‘dull’ was not a word he thought could ever describe Lando. “Shall we go?”

The few things he had brought with him were easily stored on Luke’s speeder along with what Luke had bought in Anchorhead. Lando noticed some spare parts for various kind of machinery as well as processed foods from off-world. 

Forty-six kilometres separated Anchorhead from Tosche Station, which was serving a few dozen moisture and hydroponic farms in the Salt Flat. It was a two-hour drive which Lando used for some idle chit-chat about the area. Luke was very forthcoming with information, happily telling him about the families in the area and what else was of interest.

“What about the Empire?” Lando asked.

“What about it?” Luke replied. “They keep a garrison in MosEspa and one in their capital Bestine. You can find some stormtroopers in MosEisley and Metameur, but that’s pretty much it.”

“They don’t come into the countryside?” Lando asked, just to be sure. He had done his research before but it was always good to ask the locals.

Luke shook his head. “They’re off-worlders so they mostly avoid going out of their climate-controlled forts.”

“You don’t sound too fond of them,” Lando said deliberately casual. 

“It’s not that,” Luke replied. “I actually want to join them. After the next harvest my uncle will let me go to the Academy on Arkanis so I can become a pilot. But…”

“But?” Lando prodded gently. It was clear that Luke wanted to talk about this.

“But they could do more here. They’re meant to bring stability and prosperity but the Hutt’s still control Tatooine like they did before the Empire.”

“Are you implying the Hutt Clan is doing a bad job?” Lando teased him.

Luke ducked his head and grinned. “I probably shouldn’t complain so much in front of a Czerka representative.”

“Yes, please leave the bad-mouthing of my company to me,” Lando deadpanned. 

Luke laughed, bright and clear. There was something to him, a natural warmth that appealed to Lando. Maybe his stay on Tatooine would be more enjoyable than he had first thought.

“You know you don’t have to join the Imperial Academy to become a pilot?” Lando asked. Around them the landscape was changing from the sandy hills of the Dune Sea to the rocky landscape of the Jundland Wastes. It was not an improvement but at least it was a change of scenery.

“I know, but…” Luke paused. “I want to do this right. My father was a pilot but he ended up as a spicerunner. I want to be a starfighter pilot, I want to see the galaxy without running for my life all the time.”

“Sometimes running for your life is the fun part,” Lando replied with a grin. Luke reminded him a little of himself when he had been young. Except that he had snuck onto a transporter when he had been fourteen and never looked back.

“Not in my experience.”

“Have you had to run for your life a lot?” Lando was intrigued and always up for a good story.

“Sand People, Womp Rats, those kinds of things.”

“A krayt dragon?” Lando had heard about the creatures roaming the Dune Sea of Tatooine, hoarding precious pearls. Some were as big as canyons, supposedly.

“They live pretty far out in the Dune Sea,” Luke replied. “Most people who go out to hunt them never come back.”

“And those who do?”

“Didn’t meet one, though sometimes they bring back bones they found as ‘proof’.”

“I guess the bones make for a good enough story,” Lando replied.

“But it’s not the truth,” Luke protested. “They didn’t actually meet a krayt dragon.”

“It’s the truth from a certain point of view,” Lando mused. “They met a krayt dragon, just not a live one.”

“I guess.”

“Why don’t you tell me about one of those times you had to run for your life and I tell you how you can make it a better story.”

Luke, like pretty much everyone else Lando had met on Tatooine so far, was very straightforward. Lando had no doubts that the story of Luke and his friend Windy running from Sand People when they got stuck in a sandstorm on the way to Metameur was the absolute truth without any embellishments. It wasn’t even a bad story and Luke was a decent narrator but it still lacked a certain…panache.

/

They arrived at Tosche Station when the first sun was already setting, painting the world in a bright orange that made the buildings almost indistinguishable from the landscape surrounding them. Perhaps that was even the point.

As in Anchorhead, life happened in the dawn and dusk and Lando could see several people crowded around a few speeder bikes. 

“Hey Wormie,” one of them called out when Luke stopped the speeder nearby. “Who do you have there?”

Going by the hunch of Luke’s shoulders and the way he ducked his head to hide his flush, he didn’t like the nickname. Lando made a note not to use it. He climbed out of the speeder and approached the young man. “I am Lando Calrissian,” he said, offering his hand.

“You’re the new Czerka prospector.” The young man took Lando’s hand and shook it. His hands were rough, calloused, the hands of someone used to manual labour. “I’m Loze Loneozner, but call me Fixer.”

“Am I correct that you’re the resident mechanic?” Lando asked. From the corner of his eye he noticed that three other people had joined them, all about Luke’s age and two of them looking similar enough that he bet they were siblings.

“Yeah, the name kinda gives it away, doesn’t it?” Fixer chuckled and gestured for the others to come closer. “This is Deak Starkiller”, he pointed towards one of the two boys who shook Lando’s hand with the limp kind of handshake that Lando hated, “and these are Windy and Carmie Marstrap”, he introduced the other two. Lando had been right about them being siblings. He also noticed how Fixer rested his hand on the small of Carmie’s back as she came closer, so in the interest of good neighbourly relations, Lando left it at a “Charmed”, and a “Luke told me about your adventure with the Sand People.”

“I was so sure that we were bantha fodder,” Windy said, “but Luke’s quick thinking really saved our hides.”

“Tusken are vicious,” Carmie told Lando. “Stay away from them.”

“They think Tatooine belongs to them,” Deak added. “They’ll kill you, eat your flesh, use your skin for their clothes and your bones for their tents.”

Lando raised his eyebrows at the gruesome description and next to him Luke snorted quietly and said, “You’re full of shit.”

“It’s true, Wormie,” Deak’s tone was slightly confrontational. “Why else are there never any bodies?”

“All right guys,” Fixer interrupted. “Suns are setting and I don’t want you get caught out after dark. You can scare the new guy next time.”

Deak huffed but he did toss out a “later,” before walking back to his speeder bike and getting on it. 

“It was nice to meet you,” Windy said to Lando. “Guess we’ll see you around.”

“You will,” Lando replied, watching him follow Deak to the speeder bikes, but hovering instead of leaving as he was clearly waiting for his sister.

Carmie and Fixer stood nearby, talking to each other softly while holding hands, so Lando turned to Luke. “Thank you for the ride, Luke. I hope I’ll see you again, soon.”

“We all come here quite often, I mean, I could come by more often but I guess you’re going to be busy anyway.”

“Not until my transport arrives, unless you’d like to give me more rides around Tatooine.”

“I wouldn’t mind. I mean, we go around the area anyway though probably not where Czerka wants you to go.”

“Czerka gave me full discretion about my exploits,” Lando replied, which was the truth and one more proof that this job was some kind of tax write off. “But perhaps you’ll be too busy on the farm.”

Luke grimaced at the reminder. “If it was up to my uncle, I’d never leave.”

“Then perhaps us running for our lives around the Dune Sea will have to wait for a bit,” Lando said. Over Luke’s shoulder he could see that Carmie and Fixer were finishing up their goodbyes. “I look forward to see you more often.”

“You, too, I mean me, too,” Luke said and hastily made his exist, barely tossing a “bye” in Fixer’s direction as he passed him.

Fixer gazed after him, then back to Lando. “Luke’s got a very protective uncle.”

“Is that a warning?”

“Maybe. Luke’s usually not the one to draw someone’s attention.” Fixer’s tone was cautious but not warning. He rolled his shoulders. “Let’s get you settled. You’ve got your stuff?”

“All here,” Lando replied, shrugging to show the bag slung over his shoulder. Fixer didn’t look surprised that Lando seemed to have nothing but a change of clothes to his name.

Tosche Station consisted of three buildings: the generator hut, the repair shop that also housed spare parts and space to park speeder bikes in case of a sandstorm, and the main building where Fixer and now Lando lived. There was an official looking reception at the entrance, from which a door led to the communal area that was furnished with couches, armchairs, tables and a bar.

“People don’t always have the time to go all the way to Anchorhead,” Fixer explained. “And few people like to drink alone. Besides, sandstorms can happen without warning and then you’d be trapped here for a couple days or even a week.”

“It’s not a bad business model,” Lando commented. It would certainly make meeting people much easier if they all came here anyway. 

“Merle, the guy who owns this place, might be stingy with the pay but not with the alcohol,” Fixer replied, leading them back to the reception and through the door behind the desk that led to a hallway with multiple other doors.

“Kitchen’s at the end of the hallway, it also has a connection to the communal area,” Fixer explained. “My room’s at the other end and your room is this one.” He pointed toward a door right in front of them. “We each have our own bathroom. And Lando—”

“Yes?”

“I hope whatever trouble brought you here won’t follow you.”

Lando laughed. “I don’t think I catch your meaning.”

“There’s three kinds of people who end up at this job: the ones who Czerka wants to get rid of and the ones who got into trouble with someone else and need to lay low.”

“That’s only two. What’s the third kind?”

“The third kind are idiots and you’re not an idiot.” Fixer looked him straight in the eyes. “If your trouble finds you here, you won’t be my problem.”

Lando returned his gaze. “Understood.”

“Good.” Fixer relaxed and slapped Lando’s shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night.” Lando paused at his own door, watching Fixer vanish into his room without looking back. This man would hand him over to the Empire no questions asked. But it was fair of him to let Lando know where they stood from the start.

Perhaps a straightforward place like Tatooine was exactly what Lando needed right now.

/

Lando hadn’t even been on Tatooine for more than two standard weeks and he was already regretting ever setting a foot on this planet. The speeder Czerka had promised him, still hadn’t arrived and Lando was not going to start using animal transport, so there was nothing for him to do but hang around the repair station, play cards and listen to all the gossip the Jundland Wastes had to offer.

It didn’t matter if the Empire caught him or not because he could imagine few punishments that were worse than the endless boredom he was suffering here. Sightings of Sand People and Jawa trade routes were at least useful but in the past two weeks he had also to listen to fifteen almost identical retellings of the Great Drought five years ago, multiple horrific stories of various sand-related diseases, the entire history of mineral explorations on Tatooine, twice, and six readings of the letter Biggs Darklighter had sent from the Academy on Arkanis.

He was a newcomer and that meant the people around here had a chance to tell their old stories to a fresh face. Lando had no doubt that by the time he left here, he would be privy to most of the scandals that had rocked the Jundland Wastes over the past decades. Perhaps he would’ve even caught a glimpse of the ever-elusive hermit the locals called Old Kenobi.

At least Luke seemed much more interested in hearing Lando tell him about his adventures off-world than sharing any stories of his own. Having a pretty boy giving him starry-eyed looks while he talked certainly helped to ease the boredom.

It was still a reminder that Lando was not made for permanent residence anymore. He was used to flitting about the galaxy following whatever whim had caught his fancy at the moment. This year was going to be the longest he had spent on one planet since he had been fourteen.

When his speeder bike finally arrived with a shipment of spare parts from MosEspa, Lando could’ve cried tears of joy. He didn’t but it was a close call.

“You should let Luke take a look at it before you take it out the first time,” Fixer told him as Lando inspected the speeder. It was a solid model, a bit clunkier than what he was used to but by no means scrap.

“I thought you were the resident mechanic here.”

“I am. Luke has some of supernatural talent when it comes to these things though. You give him a lamp and he can tell you when the voltage switch is going to burn out.”

Lando raised his eyebrows. “Sounds more like magic than mechanics.”

Fixer shrugged. “Call it what you like but let him take a look. He’ll want to anyway.”

Lando managed not to roll his eyes. People around here had nothing better to do than to gossip and apparently Luke had visited Tosche Station much more often since Lando had arrived here. If some people wanted to draw wild conclusions from that, denying it would only convince them that they were right. He certainly wasn’t going to stop encouraging Luke’s attention. Tatooine in general and the Jundland Wastes in particular lacked in entertainment and Luke was by far the prettiest face around.

“If Luke is such a talented mechanic, why don’t you let him take a look at that pod racer you’ve got in the back?” Lando asked to nudge the topic in a different direction.

“Because that’s my project,” Fixer replied. He sounded annoyed. Were Luke’s superior repair skills a sore point? And if so, why did he bring them up? 

“I thought you were going to sell it anyway. What difference does it make who repaired it?” Lando had already heard all about Fixer’s wedding plans. If the pod racer sold well, maybe he and Carmie could even honeymoon in the Motesta Oasis. Such were the dreams of people who had never been amongst the stars, Lando thought idly.

“It’d get around to Carmie’s parents,” Fixer replied with a grimace. “And they’re not too keen on me, okay? Windy’s getting the farm so Carmie has to find her own way. If it was up to her parents, she’d marry Luke and get the Lars Farm.”

“I see,” Lando replied and silently thanked all the stars for his sabacc face because this plot would’ve been more at home in a holo-drama than in real life. Then again, Tatooine was a backwater world. He gave the speeder another look. He didn’t trust Czerka as far as he could throw them and he’d rather start his explorations sooner rather than later if only so he had something to do.

With a sigh, he opened his comlink and sent Luke a message.

/

“So, what is your final verdict?” Lando asked as Luke crawled out of the innards of the speeder. There was a smudge of motor oil just on his cheek and Lando suppressed the urge to wipe it away. “Is this speeder really a secret assassination attempt?”

Luke laughed softly and shook his head as he cleaned his hands on a rag. “It’s a good solid speeder, though not very fast or agile. You won’t make it through the Beggar’s Canyon with this one but it should last you a couple months at least. Just keep it out of sandstorms.”

“Let me buy you a drink the next time we’re in Anchorhead for your hard work,” Lando suggested. There was more than enough alcohol in Tosche Station to drown a rancor but it also lacked privacy and taking Luke to his room would probably the Tatooine equivalent of an engagement announcement all over the holo-net.

Luke opened his mouth, closed it again and looked aside. “You’re going out there alone?”

“Why?” Lando leaned against his speeder, a smile spreading over his face. “You want to come with me?”

“You shouldn’t go alone,” Luke said instead. “It’s dangerous and you’re not from around here.”

“I’ve been to a lot of places, Luke, I’ll manage this one as well.”

But Luke didn’t lose the frown marring his face. “Have you ever even been to another desert planet?”

“I’ve been to the Aparian Wastes on Serenno,” Lando replied. Sure, he had flown there to help Han break out of prison but that had to count for something.

Luke shook his head. “You really shouldn’t go alone.”

“You’re offering?”

The blush on Luke’s face amused him. It was clear that this had been Luke’s intention from the beginning, subtlety was really not his forte.

“I could. I’ve been around, I even did the Beggar’s Canyon once.” The last one didn’t mean anything to Lando but going by Luke’s hopeful glance at him before he dropped his eyes again, he seemed to consider it enough of an achievement that it should speak in his favour.

“I am certainly not going to argue if a handsome young man wants to show me around.”

“That’s not…I wasn’t…” Luke ducked his head. “I’m only trying to keep you alive.”

“And I appreciate the offer,” Lando replied. “Are you sure your family won’t mind? They need you on the farm, don’t they?”

“It’s not harvest season,” Luke said with a shrug. 

Lando, remembering Fixer’s words about Luke’s protective uncle, replied, “Maybe ask them first anyway before your uncle comes after me with a pitchfork for trying to steal you away.”

His wink was completely lost on Luke, who asked, sounding genuinely confused, “What’s a pitchfork?”

/

“Morning Lando,” Carmie greeted him when he came into the kitchen. Her presence at Tosche Station was by no means unusual but it was strange to see her here this early in the morning. For some reason, which Lando attributed to the general backwater-ness of Tatooine, she never stayed the night.

“Good morning, Carmie. You’re early today,” Lando said, accepting the cup of caf with a grateful nod.

“Fresh harvest of fruits for the kitchen,” she replied and gestured to the empty nets piled up at the end of the counter.

“Does that mean I get to eat Fixer’s famous pika cakes soon?” He asked, waggling his eyebrows as if this was some kind of innuendo.

“Perhaps.” She laughed. “I’ve heard you’re planning your first excursion today?”

“Just a small one to test the bike.”

“I’ve also heard you’re taking Luke with you.”

“I see the Jundland Wastes’ rumour mill works fast,” Lando replied, taking a sip of his caf. It was brewed much stronger here on Tatooine than he was used to but he had found that he liked it.

Carmie put her own cup down. “Luke is nice.”

“I noticed that.”

“I mean he’s too nice. He trusts people to be what they say they are. Don’t hurt him.”

“I have no intention of hurting him.”

“Don’t hurt him unintentionally either.”

Lando inhaled, but, uncertain what to say to that, and before he could make up his mind, Fixer came into the kitchen, ending the moment for good. Carmie greeted him with a kiss, a cup of caf and an inventory list for the harvest, while Lando grabbed the bag of food for the excursion that Fixer had prepared. He might only be the second-best mechanic in the Jundland Wastes but from what Lando had seen and heard Fixer was by far the best cook around. If he ever managed to invite the Marstrap Clan for dinner, Carmie’s parents would cease their opposition to the match as soon as they tried his dustcrepes.

Luke was already waiting outside, wearing a wide shawl around his neck and head together with some googles he had pushed up in his hair.

“Feeling cold?” Lando teased him.

Luke rolled his eyes. “It’s for the sand and the suns.”

“I know, I know,” Lando smiled. “So, where would you like to go?”

“Where would I like to go?” Luke asked. “What about your work?”

“Luke, how many prospectors has Czerka send in the last ten years?”

“Nine.”

“And how many mines have been opened in that time?”

“None.”

“Precisely. This operation is a tax-write off but it’s one that benefits me so I’m not going to complain. Therefore, where would you like to go?” Lando asked again. “What’s a place on Tatooine you’ve always wanted to see but never managed?”

“You do remember I lived my entire life here? I want to see the stars, not more sand and rocks.”

“We all have to start somewhere, so?”

“I don’t…” Luke trailed off as his expression cleared. “Ja-Mero Ridge, it’s on the western end of The Wound but we should be able to make it.”

“Isn’t that the one you and Windy tried to go to when you got trapped by that sandstorm?”

“I can’t believe you remember that!”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s the first story you told me about yourself.”

“It’s just that…never mind. It’s not sandstorm season yet, so we should be fine.”

In the face of Luke’s enthusiasm, Lando didn’t have the heart to point out that ‘yet’ was not an encouraging word. “Lead the way, then.”

/

Ja-Mero Ridge was a natural border between the Jundland Wastes and the Western Dune Sea, keeping the wind from pushing sand onto the rocky surface beyond it. At first Lando couldn’t understand why Luke had wanted to come here but then he saw it in the shadow of the ridge.

“Are those…plants?” he asked, one hand already on his binoculars. He had yet to see any kind of flora outside of hydroponic gardens and underground farms.

“Japor trees,” Luke confirmed. “And molo shrubs but those aren’t much to look at during the day. Come on, let’s have a closer look.”

Since Luke left his bike behind, only grabbing his water canister and rifle, Lando did the same, even taking some sample bags so he could do his ‘work’. He had no doubt that Czerka would dump any soil he sent them but appearances had to be kept.

Tree was a very generous description for the Japors. They certainly looked like trees but miniature ones, most of them barely reaching above Lando’s ankle. Many of them had a single green fruit hanging from their branches that was almost as big as the Japor itself.

“We came just at the right time,” Luke said as he tossed one of those fruits to Lando before peeling the rind off his and taking a bite out of it. 

“What is it?” Lando asked, turning the fruit over in his hands.

“Pallies,” Luke replied. “They’re very sweet. My aunt grows them in her garden.”

Lando followed Luke’s example and took a bite. The fruit was very sweet and the juice of a sticky, syrupy consistency. There were a few kernels embedded in the flesh that he spit out in the sand. He leaned backwards, reaching for the rocks with his free hand as Luke’s eyes widened.

“Be careful of the –”

“Ouch!”  
“ – razor moss,” Luke finished.

Lando glanced up from his bloody hand towards him and said, “Advice gained too late.”

“For next time then,” Luke replied and walked over. He took Land’s injured hand into his and examined the wound gently. “Doesn’t look too bad. I have a few bacta stripes on the speeder, be right back.”

“Don’t get eaten by sandworms,” Lando called after him.

“Wrong planet,” Luke laughed as he climbed the ridge.

Lando watched him go, realised he was doing it, and turned back to his ‘work’. Now that he was aware of it, he could see the thin dark lines criss-crossing the rock, leaving small pieces of stone in its wake as if it was splitting the rock itself.

Behind him, Lando could hear the sand shifting and smiled to himself. “Back already? That was—”

When he turned, it wasn’t Luke who was standing there. Instead Lando was faced with a two-meter-tall rat with spikes in its fur, rearing up on its hindlegs.

Fuck.

Instinctively Lando took a step backwards but his foot caught on a rock and he stumbled, falling to the ground. The giant rat let out a hiss as it took a swipe at him that Lando narrowly escaped. He scrambled, trying to get back to his feet, and cut more of his hand on the razor moss as he grabbed at an outcropping for purchase. 

“Get down!” Luke yelled behind him and Lando dropped down into a crouch, ready to get up again at a moment’s notice when the rat was hit by blaster fire. Three shots in a row, dead centred around its eyes, made it drop dead almost instantly.

“Are you okay?” Sand kicked up as Luke ran towards him, rifle slung over his shoulder.

Lando could feel his heart racing in his chest but he brushed Luke’s hand away when he tried to help him up. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.”

Lando turned his head and fixed Luke with a sharp look but Luke wasn’t paying attention to him, instead he was glancing down at Lando’s injured hand, and the blood dripping down onto the sand. “I’ve had worse.”

“You can ride back with me,” Luke offered as they climbed the ridge back to their speeders. “We can tow your bike behind mine.”

“We don’t have to leave,” Lando replied. “Danger’s over.”

Luke shook his head. “The carcass will attract scavengers, maybe even Sand People. It’s safer if we go back.” He cradled Lando’s injured hand in his while gently wiping the sand and blood from it with the other. “Still glad you let me pick where we were going?” 

Lando picked up on the self-deprecating tone and said, “I’m glad I took your offer to accompany me. Else I’d be rat food.”

“Thanks,” Luke replied as he wrapped the bacta bandages around Lando’s hand. “You don’t carry a blaster?”

“I’m a dreadful shot,” Lando lied. “Besides, blasters are so uncivilised. There is nothing like a good, sharp blade to defend yourself.”

“Not sure that would help you against a womp rat,” Luke mused. “Some of them are poisonous.”

“With every beast you mention I grow happier to have accepted a post here,” Lando drawled sarcastically. “But seriously,” he covered Luke’s hand with his uninjured one, “Thank you for saving my life.”

Luke glanced up at him, blushed, and quickly averted his eyes again. “It’s nothing,” he mumbled.

/

Thankfully enough not all of their trips were as exciting as their first one. Not that Tatooine was a safe planet by any measure, but having Luke as his guide meant that Lando didn’t stumble face first into a Tusken camp or get robbed blind by Jawas. 

Maybe it was because he had never been on a desert planet before but Lando could appreciate the natural beauty of this place, the rock formations of the Needle, the seemingly endless abyss of the Wound and the sweeping hills of the Dune Sea. 

Tatooine was not the worst planet he could’ve ended up on for a year and the company was better than expected. Not just Luke, though Lando knew that without him this place would lose a considerable amount of its charm, but also Fixer and Carmie and the other inhabitants of the Jundland Wastes, bar the Sand People who Lando had yet to encounter.

While Lando always checked what he had in the way of maps to make sure they didn’t end up in the vicinity of MosEspa or Bestine, he usually let Luke pick what direction they took or which landmark Luke deemed worth visiting. 

Lando found he preferred the Dune Sea. The endless, featureless wastes stretching out to the horizon and past it reminded him of space and seeing it helped to scratch the itch inside of him that demanded he take the next ship and leave. He wasn’t made to be planet-bound for this long. He still hadn’t been able to forget that if he managed the entire year here, it would be the longest he had spent dirt-side since leaving home at fourteen.

Today they had gone out to the southwest, across the Jundland Chasm, which in contrast to The Wound actually had a visible bottom, and into the Western Dune Sea. At this time of year sandstorms were rare, according to Luke, and so they could risk going a bit into the Dune Sea.

“It’s like an ocean,” Lando commented as they took a rest in the shadow of their speeder bikes. 

“You’ve seen an ocean?” Luke asked, his voice a mix of envy and incredulity. “What do they look like?”

“Pretty much like this except made of water,” Lando replied before realising how unhelpful that would be to someone who had never seen a body of water larger than a canister.

“How come the water doesn’t just evaporate?”

“Most planets are colder than Tatooine,” Lando said. He actually had no clue why water didn’t just evaporate on other planets, even other hot planets. 

“Huh,” Luke replied. “Is it nice? An ocean I mean.”

“It’s wet and usually cold and also quite often windy,” Lando told him. “And salty.”

“So like the Chott Salt Flats near Bestine?”

“Normally an ocean isn’t flat, the wind forms waves like the dunes here,” Lando tried to explain, waving his hand across the scenery around them.

Luke frowned. “But I thought oceans were liquid. How does it stay in shape?”

“It doesn’t,” Lando replied. “Have you never seen a holo-vid of an ocean?”

Luke shook his head. “There’s no uplink to the holo-net outside of the cities. Besides, my uncle says there’s all sorts of things on the holo-net that aren’t real.”

“Believe me Luke, oceans are real,” Lando said. “The next time I’m in Anchorhead I’ll download a holo-vid of the ocean for you. Anything else you would like to see?”

Luke hesitated, but then he asked, “Have you ever seen snow?”

Lando couldn’t help himself, he laughed. From the corner of his eye he could see Luke pouting and rifled through his back until he found the pika cakes Carmie had packed for both of them. “Catch.”

“Are these Fixer’s?” Luke asked, momentarily distracted. 

“I’ve been banned from baking so they have to be his.” He broke off a piece and true to legend, the cake was as good as everyone had claimed.

“What did you do?” Luke asked before biting into his cake and made a noise that Lando could only describe as pornographic.

“I see recipes more as recommendations than as orders”, Lando replied with a shrug. “Fixer said he couldn’t tolerate ‘such slaughter of pastries and baked goods’ in his kitchen.”

“Fair enough,” Luke replied between licking his fingers clean. 

Lando was about to tell him that he had more cakes in his bag when the long, deep call of a bantha nearby grabbed their attention. Banthas were by no means unusual on Tatooine but he and Luke were a fair bit away from civilisation. Maybe it was a single animal separated from its herd? Before Lando could voice his thought, they heard an answering call and then another. It sounded closer, too.

The sands of the dune to the east of their resting place shifted as the Banthas made their way across. It was a small group but for some reason the herd of Banthas seemed to make Luke uncomfortable.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of some of the most docile animals in the galaxy,” Lando teased him.

“I’m not scared, it’s just…I don’t know who this herd belongs to.”

“Does it matter?”

“It does if it turns out to be Sand People.”

Lando conceded the point with a nod. He fastened his bag on his speeder bike while Luke was one step ahead, already sitting on his and ready to go. Lando noticed he had a hand on his rifle.

“No need to shoot, Luke,” a voice called and a dewback came into view, carrying a figure in a brown robe on top of it.

“Ben!” Luke let go of his rifle and climbed back down from his bike.

“Luke,” the robed figured turned out to be an old man who greeted Luke with a warm smile as he climbed down. This had to be the elusive hermit Old Ben Kenobi, Lando guessed. “What brings you out here?”

“I’m keeping an eye on Lando so he doesn’t fall into quicksand,” Luke replied, throwing a quick grin in Lando’s direction.

“There is no quicksand on Tatooine,” Lando called back. He had actually researched that before coming. Every action-holo he had watched as a kid had had quicksand in scenes on desert planets. But to his disappointment Tatooine did not have any.

“Don’t we?” Luke winked.

“The quicksand is where you hide the sandworms, isn’t it?” It was so easy to banter with Luke, it reminded him of spending time with L3, back before Kessel.

“Shh, I’m not supposed to tell outsiders that,” Luke replied. His sunny demeanour always seemed so unsuitable to harshness of Tatooine. He turned back to Kenobi, who had watched their exchange with a faintly amused smile on his face. “Sorry, Lando is the new prospector for Czerka.”

“Yes, I have heard about Lando Calrissian,” Kenobi replied and there was something in his eyes that made the hairs stand at the back of Lando’s neck. 

“You’re Old Ben Kenobi I assume?” Lando offered his hand. “I’ve heard about you as well, though until today I thought you were a legend.”

“Legends have a kernel of truth in them”, Kenobi replied, shaking Lando’s hand. He had a strong grip and his hands were calloused although not in the way a farmer’s or a labourer’s were, but a soldier. 

“Don’t they ever,” Lando said as his eyes met Kenobi’s. This man was dangerous, very dangerous and Lando only knew too well what kind of attention made one hide out in Tatooine’s countryside to avoid attention.

“You are very far out,” Kenobi said to Luke, a hint of reprimand in his voice. “You should leave soon if you want to make it back home by nightfall.”

“We were just leaving,” Lando replied, resting a hand on Luke’s shoulder. There was something unsettling about Kenobi and the sooner they left him behind the better. “I don’t think Czerka’s going to build a mine out here anytime soon.”

“No, I don’t think Czerka is going to build any mines on Tatooine again,” Kenobi agreed. He had pale eyes like Luke, but unlike Luke there was not a hint of warmth in them when he looked at Lando.

“Well, it was good to meet you,” Lando said, “to put a face to the name, you know?”

“Yes, I know exactly what you mean,” Kenobi replied, fixing Lando with another cold look before turning to Luke. “Please give my best to your aunt and uncle.”

“Will do,” Luke promised. “See you around Ben.”

“I will, my boy.”

/

Lando didn’t have the opportunity to ask Luke for more details about Kenobi because exciting news was waiting for them when they returned to Tosche Station.

Biggs Darklighter had returned to Tatooine!

Lando knew about the Darklighter Family, of course, and how they owned the majority of farms in the Jundland Wastes, but he hadn’t met any of them. Despite having their own ancestral farm near Anchorhead, the elder Darklighters preferred their house in Bestine and the two Darklighter siblings were off- world: Dera, the daughter, studying at University on Chandrila, and Biggs, the son, enrolled as a pilot cadet at the Imperial Academy on Arkanis.

Going by the genuine delight that Biggs’ return to Tatooine elicited among the regulars of Tosche Station, Lando came to the conclusion that Biggs was popular in his own right and not just because he was the local rich kid.

Perhaps he had been on Tatooine too long already but Lando found himself curious about Biggs Darklighter. Curious enough to ask Fixer about him once the others had left for the night.

“Biggs?” The question seemed to amuse Fixer. “He’s a good guy, never made the rest of us feel like he’s better than us. Looked out for Luke especially. If it had been up to Biggs, Luke would’ve come with him to the academy. He even talked to Luke’s uncle.”

“Who said no.”

“I don’t think Luke’s uncle wants him to go. If it was up to him, Luke would stay and take over the farm, marry a nice girl and have lots of kids who will also all become moisture farmers.”

That was the kind of thinking Lando only knew from holo-soaps. There was no permanence to the life he led, no legacy for any potential children he might have one day. 

So when Biggs Darklighter arrived at Tosche Station the next day and invited everyone to Anchorhead for a drink, Lando had a pretty good idea of what he was like and he didn’t disappoint. Tall with dark hair and eyes and a moustache that made him look older, Biggs was a handsome man. His clothes were expensive and showed a clear influence from off-world while being suitable to Tatooine’s climate. He also did not like Lando, which had nothing to do with Lando himself and everything to do with Luke. Because while his first impression of Lando had clearly been favourable if dismissive, knowing that Czerka prospectors never stayed long, it had dropped considerably once he had seen how Luke behaved around Lando.

By Tatooine standards Biggs was wealthy and he was used to being the centre of attention, especially Luke’s attention. There had also been some youthful exploration with each other, Lando assumed, that had led Biggs to consider Luke his while Luke had remained oblivious to Biggs’ deeper feelings.

It amused Lando that Biggs saw him as a rival for Luke’s affection when Luke had never reacted to Lando’s flirting beyond blushing up to his roots, and had certainly never flirted back. 

In the end it was just the three of them going to Anchorhead, ending up in a place called the Weary Traveller. It was around midday, both suns standing high in the sky and the place was packed, but Biggs was still able to secure a booth for them.

Luke had been talking practically non-stop about his and Lando’s explorations of the Tatooine landscape starting from the Ja-Mero Ridge to their trips out into the Dune Sea. 

“Sounds like you’re taking your job seriously,” Biggs commented with a look at Lando.

“I could sit around all day but Luke can vouch how stir crazy I got when I didn’t have my speeder the first few weeks.” Lando bumped his elbow against Luke’s side and watched Biggs clench his jaw.

This was going to be fun.

“He did go stir crazy,” Luke agreed with a grin. 

Lando fished some credits out of his pocket and pressed them into Luke’s hand, making sure to let his touch linger. “Could you get me a Tatooine Sunrise?”

“Sure.” Luke looked down at the credits. “That’s too much though. The prices here aren’t that high.”

“Get yourself a drink, too. I did promise you one.”

Luke tilted his head and looked at him with a happy pout on his lips. “That was months ago.”

“I’m good for my word.”

Biggs wanted to give Luke some credits as well but Lando raised his hand. “Please, drinks are on me this round.”

When Luke looked at Biggs, he said, “The usual please, Luke.”

For a moment Luke seemed confused but then he shrugged when Biggs didn’t offer more information and made his way to the bar. As soon as he was out of earshot, Biggs turned to Lando with forced civility in his tone.

“How long have you been here?”

“Four standard months.”

“You’ll be gone by the next time I’m on leave.”

“Maybe,” Lando drawled. “I might decide I like it here. Tatooine has its beauties.” He looked over to where Luke was standing at the bar, waiting for their drinks.

Predictably, Biggs bristled like a Loth-Cat stroked in the wrong direction. “Luke’s gong to join the Academy after the next harvest.”

“Plans can change.”

“Not these plans.”

Lando shrugged. “Luke might decide he wants to see the galaxy by himself instead of at the orders of the Empire.”

“If you think that –”

“Sorry it took so long,” Luke interrupted with a sunny smile while balancing three different drinks. 

Lando extracted his brightly coloured Tatooine Sunrise from Luke’s precarious grip. Biggs’ drink was something sharp and bitter smelling that Lando recognised as Ardees and Luke’s was— 

“Hot chocolate?” Lando couldn’t help but ask.

“I like it,” Luke replied, ducking his head. “Most places make it with blue milk but here they make it with a white kind. Tastes much better.”

Lando felt a sudden rush of affection and decided to wash it away with his drink. This was the problem with staying in one place for too long. 

/

In the ten days Biggs had leave to remain on Tatooine, Lando saw more of Luke than he would’ve thought. Apparently Biggs had to visit local relatives and spent some time with his parents in Bestine as well , so Luke was free to join Lando on their usual expeditions.

Lando was happier about that than he would even admit to himself. He liked being in Luke’s company and the few times he had gone out by himself had been boring and he had been a bit at loss of what to do. That had never happened to him before. Lando had always been proud of how self-sufficient he was, even if there had been lapses like that with L3. 

Stars, she would be making fun of him if she could see him now. Scratch that, if L3 was still around she would’ve never let him get into a situation where he needed to hide on a backwater planet from the Empire for an entire year just to make sure he didn’t get arrested on sight.

Lando glanced at Luke who was riding ahead of him as they made their way past Anchorhead and towards the Eastern Dune Sea. This close to sandstorm season, the Western Dune Sea would be crawling with Sand People who used a mountain range deeper into the desert as a safe haven. Besides, Lando hadn’t send any samples from his area of Tatooine to Czerka yet and he might as well be diligent with his job.

“I’ve never been this far before,” Luke told him when they stopped for a rest. The suns stood high and it was unbearably hot with no wind stirring the sand, which had a different colour compared to the Western Dune Sea. There it was light yellow, almost white because of all the salt blown over from the salt flats and the glare could be enough to blind a man. Here the sand had a reddish-brown colour and the dunes were much higher and with steeper slopes compared to the rolling hills of the Western Dune Sea.

“Why not?” Lando asked while he poured some water onto his scarf and it rubbed it over his skin. As hot as it was, he thought he could feel the water evaporating from his face.

“There’s nothing here,” Luke replied. He looked flushed but otherwise unbothered by the heat. “Even Tusken and Jawas don’t come here much, I think. There’s nothing here but sand.”

“I couldn’t find much about this area either,” Lando admitted as he scooped up some sand and put it in a sample bag. 

“How much research did you do?”

“Too much probably,” Lando admitted with a rueful smile. He had a tendency to get lost in his research and emerge with more knowledge than necessary. When reading about Serenno to break out Han, he had ended up reading a biography of the former ruling family despite this having no value to the plan or any other heist he might plan in the future.

“Then why am I always the one to suggest places we should go to?” Luke asked.

Lando was about to reply when he suddenly felt the sands shift under their feet. He could feel himself losing his balance and when he turned to Luke, he saw the wide-eyed look on his face. “Quick sand?” He asked, despite knowing better.

Frantically Luke shook his head. He grabbed Lando’s arm and pulled him in the direction of their speeders. “We need to go. Now!”

“But what –” 

“GO!”

Easier said than done with the ground moving beneath their feet as if someone had turned off gravity. Flat surfaces suddenly became steep and smooth, leaving nothing for him to stand on. Sand was running between them like liquid and suddenly spikes appeared out of nowhere. One of them punctured Luke’s trousers and caught him in place, but Lando pulled him further until something gave and he was free again.

Just as they reached their bikes, a roar ripped through the silence of the desert and Lando knew what was beneath the sand.

A krayt dragon.

A kriffin’ greater krayt dragon, waiting buried under the sand for prey.

A shadow fell over them as they tried to start their bikes. The krayt dragon had pulled itself out of the sand and to its full height, blocking out the suns.

Luke kept his head down but Lando made the mistake of looking up. He had to. 

What he saw made him freeze in place. No living thing should be this big. It was a creature from another time, from beyond the galaxy, something primitive cultures would worship as a god. And as Lando saw it, he could understand why.

It was terrifying but in that it was beautiful like few things truly were. It looked down at him, its slit, black pupil inside a yellow eye bigger than a Wookiee, and Lando was so enchanted by the sight he forgot to be afraid.

“Lando!” 

Luke calling his name broke the spell. What had he been thinking? He started his bike just as the krayt dragon lowered its head to gobble him up. Lando could feel its breath in his back as he drove over the sand as quickly as his bike would allow, cursing Czerka under his breath.

As they raced back towards the Jundland Plateau, Lando couldn’t help but take one last look over his shoulder. The krayt dragon still stood there, letting out another roar like a warning for them not to come back, until they made it through the pass and the krayt dragon vanished out of sight.

They were both out of breath when they climbed off the speeder a fair distance further than what would’ve been necessary. The shock of such a close encounter had made them both more cautious.

Still, when they climbed off, Luke and Lando looked at each other, then both of them burst out laughing. Relief flooded his body and made his knees weak as Lando doubled over with laughter, feeling tears at the corners of his eyes. 

Beside him, Luke let himself slide down onto the rocks, clutching his belly as he laughed. Lando followed him, his back against the speeder and legs stretched out over the warm sand, shoulders bumping against each other.

Lando turned his head towards him and found that Luke was mere inches away from him, lips slightly parted and eyes bluer than the skies above them. His smile changed, leaving out the mirth and gaining affection before Luke closed the distance between them and kissed him.

Oh.

Oh.

Despite his surprise Lando managed to return the kiss before Luke could pull back, feeling him relax into it once he knew it was reciprocated. Perhaps it was the typical Tatooinian straightforwardness but Luke, despite clearly not being the most experienced, was not shy about what he wanted. He climbed into Lando’s lap, wrapping his arms around Lando’s neck and had clearly no intention of going anywhere in the near future, not that Lando wanted him to.

It still rankled a little bit that apparently Biggs Darklighter had seen this coming when Lando himself hadn’t. He was never, ever telling Han about this. He’d never let him live it down.

Eventually though they did part and when Luke smiled at him, Lando couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Luke replied and it was so sweet Lando couldn’t help himself but kiss him again. That rush of affection he felt sometimes around Luke was back, only stronger, filling every vein in his body and left him feeling set alight in the best way.

/

They made it back to Tosche Station far later than normal. The first sun had already set and the second one was half sunk into the horizon. It would be dark before Luke made it back home and Lando was about to ask Luke to stay when he thought better of it.

“I should get going,” Luke said, not moving.

“You should,” Lando affirmed, not taking his hand away from where it was resting on top of Luke’s on the handle of the speeder bike. “Thank you for saving my life again.”

“I thought that was why you were taking me with you in the first place.”

“Yes, that is the only reason.”

His deadpan tone made Luke laugh. It was so tempting to kiss him again and pull him inside, spread him out on the dried grass bedding and show him everything Lando knew about pleasure, but this wasn’t some spaceport in the middle of nowhere. There were rules here and Lando had eight more months to go. He couldn’t afford to kriff this up. 

He didn’t want to, either.

“You should really go before your uncle demands my head on a spike for making you drive home in the dark.”

“My aunt might want that, too.”

“Not reassuring, Luke.”

More laughter and Lando gave in to his desire and stole a quick kiss from Luke’s lips. Except stealing might not be the right word when Luke chased him for a proper kiss, leaving him weak and wanting.

“It’s almost sandstorm season,” Luke said as they separated, a line of worry on his face. “You shouldn’t go out there alone.”

“As today showed I should never go out alone,” Lando said lightly but when it didn’t erase the expression on Luke’s face, he added, “I won’t. I wasn’t planning to, anyway.”

“Good,” Luke replied. “I’m needed on the farm tomorrow to secure everything for the storms but I’ll see you as soon as I can after that.”

“I’ll be here,” Lando promised like he had many times before and for once it was the truth.

/

The sandstorm had been going on for five days and showed no sign of letting up. 

“Longest we ever had was four weeks,” Fixer told him over cards. “That was a bad year. The sand gets everywhere, fucks with the condensators, not to mention the damage to buildings and any unfortunate being left outside. If a Tusken’s herd was caught in it, they’ll raid us again soon.”

Lando nodded, barely paying attention. This was familiar ground they had covered multiple times over the last five days. Like everyone else, they were cut off with the storm blocking any and all comm signals on-world and off-world.

Fixer was worried about Carmie and her family and Lando…Lando realised that this was the longest he had gone without seeing Luke since he had arrived here. That revelation annoyed him. He liked to think he was reasonably self-aware but he hadn’t even noticed how much time he had spent with Luke over the past couple of months.

“He’s going to be fine,” Fixer said, pulling Lando from his thoughts.

“Sorry?” Usually he would’ve paid enough attention to follow the thread of their conversation but his thoughts about Luke had him fully occupied.

“Luke,” Fixer elaborated with a reassuringly look on his face. “The Lars Farm is well built. They’ve weathered worse storms than this.”

Was he really that easy to read? Lando wondered, annoyed with himself. This was why he usually wasn’t staying in one place for so long. Letting people to get to know you was…complicated at best and dangerous at worst.

“I have no doubt,” he replied in a tone that made clear he didn’t want to talk about this. “How’s your podracer?”

Fixer raised an eyebrow at the shift in topic but went with it anyway. “I need some parts that are hard to get right now with everyone preparing for the Boonta Eve Classic. I’ll scavenge some afterwards.”

Lando had read about the biggest festival on Tatooine of course, but hearing about it from Fixer with the help of a few more questions, gave him a different perspective. Besides, it wasn’t as if he and Fixer had much else to do while the storm lasted.

It was like his first weeks on Tatooine except worse because there wasn’t even the distraction of Luke’s company to keep him from going stir crazy. Between him and Fixer, Tosche Station was practically sparkling by day nine of the storm that showed still no intention of dying anytime soon.

Fixer at least had his cooking to keep him busy and entertained, but Lando’s hobbies usually included other people and there were only so many times he could practice his card tricks. 

When the sandstorm did finally break it was in the middle of the night and Lando didn’t realise it until he was stopped by Luke on his way to the lounge in the morning.

“You don’t want to go in there,” Luke said, holding out an arm to stop Lando.

“What are you doing here?” Lando was too tired to think clearly. He hadn’t been sleeping well these past days and they had run out of caf three days ago.

“Good morning to you too,” Luke grinned, too awake and too cheerful for Lando’s liking. “So that’s what you’re like before caf in the morning.”

“I’m guessing the storm is over?”

“Yep.” Luke took his arm and gently pulled him away from the lounge and towards the kitchen. “Carmie commed me early this morning, asking if I could pick her up and bring her here. She also mentioned that you guys ran out of caf so we brought some.”

Lando gave the lounge door another look and finally put together what all of this meant. “Oh.”

Luke laughed. “Wow, this is a revelation.” He sounded delighted about it.

Carmie’s bag of farm produce was in its usual place on the counter, caf had already been brewed and there were even some pastries laid out that Fixer had made over to the past couple of days. Only Carmie and Fixer were missing.

“I’ve missed you,” Luke said as he poured Lando a cup of caf and handed it over.

“I’ve missed you too,” Lando mumbled, though in all fairness he could’ve meant the caf.

“How did you like your first sandstorm?”

“It was not an experience I am keen on repeating,” Lando said and Luke laughed.

“I don’t think you’ll have much choice unless you leave right now.”

Lando wanted to make a quip that he was considering it, but couldn’t find the words, so he settled on, “Maybe next time it’ll be you who keeps me company.”

Luke’s reaction was a mix of embarrassment and delight, but he managed to say “I’d like that,” even though he was unable to look Lando in the eyes when he did.

They chatted a bit over caf and pastries about the last few days and eventually Fixer and Carmie joined them. Neither she nor Luke could stay long since they were needed on the farm to clean up the mess the storm had left and Lando and Fixer would need to deal with the surroundings of Tosche Station. At least the generator hadn’t been damaged but otherwise the exterior was half buried in sand.

With it being the height of the sandstorm season, Lando and Luke decided to keep their trips shorter so that they wouldn’t be trapped outside during a storm. So their trips took them no further than the nearest half-way safe rock formations where they would spend most of the day making out like teenagers.

Lando had never been in a relationship like this before, slow and sweet like molasses, and he couldn’t get enough of it. 

/

Exploring the Jundland Chasm had been Luke’s idea. Usually it was dangerous territory filled with Sand People waiting to ambush travellers, but for the season they had all gone to The Needles, a mountain range in the Western Dune Sea, and so the Jundland Chasm should be safe.

Of course safe by Tatooine standards meant death trap on a normal planet. Between falling rocks, sand avalanches, canyon krayt dragons, womp rats and getting trapped by a sand storm, the Jundland Chasm was deadly enough without Sand People.

Less deadly though, so Lando and Luke set off on a clear and most importantly, windless morning. If a storm came, they wouldn’t be able to see it coming inside the ravine, so they had packed extra supplies in case they got stuck.

The rock walls were almost smooth and curled above them as if this had once been an underground river system with tunnels breaking off here and there, giving the whole thing the feel of a maze. It would also be the perfect place for an ambush, Lando thought, as they drove through it. 

Suddenly Luke stopped his speeder and pointed towards a tunnel that was branching off to the side. Except that it had been filled with a gate. An open gate that had accumulated sand over how knew how many decades.

“What do you think that is?”

Lando, who had done entirely too much research about Tatooine, answered, “I think that’s Salarah.”

“What?”

“I remember reading about an old Republican outpost in the Jundland Chasm,” Lando replied. “Czerka operated a mine nearby.”

“How long ago was that?”

Lando shrugged. “Hundreds of years, I think.”

“We should check it out.”

Luke was already steering his speeder towards the gate before Lando could say anything. Usually Luke was the more cautious of the two of them but it seemed not today.

From his research Lando knew that Tatooine had surprisingly few ghost towns, which made him only more unwilling to explore one of the few that had actually been abandoned. There had to have been a good reason, a very good reason.

Luke had parked his speeder bike at the gate and was waiting for Lando, rifle slung over his shoulder. At least he hadn’t thrown all caution into the wind then.

Like most smaller settlements on Tatooine, Salarah had been walled to better defend it against Tusken and other dangers. Lando could make out japor trees, razor moss and molo bushes growing the shadows of the ravine, which would make this highly desirable ground… and yet, there was no sign that the outpost was inhabited.

Sand was piled high in the streets, sticking to the transparisteel windows and swept through open doors by the wind. Inside Lando could see people’s belongings left there as if they had been in a hurry. Some even had dishes and cutlery out on tables.

Whatever had happened here, Salarah had not been touched since then. Nothing had been scavenged even though Jawas would pick you clean in your sleep if you weren’t careful.

The air hung heavy on them as Luke and Lando made their way through the outpost. In the dead quiet, even their breathing sounded unnaturally loud.

“What do you think happened here?” Luke whispered.

“Poisonous gas from the mine?” Lando replied, keeping his voice equally quiet. They shouldn’t be here, he could feel it, and yet they continued.

“Wouldn’t there be more bodies?”

“Maybe scavengers took them,” Lando said, despite seeing no signs for anything like that happening. He tried to remember what he had read about Salarah but it had only ever been mentioned as abandoned without ever giving a reason why.

The mine wasn’t hard to find. It had been built into the side of the ravine and like the main gate its doors stood open, the darkness beckoning people inside.

Next to him, Luke tilted his head. “I think I hear something.”

“What do you hear?” To Lando there was nothing but silence and the sound of his own heartbeat.

“It’s a…” Luke took a step towards the mine, “…like a song.”

“A song?” A shiver went down Lando’s spine. 

“I can’t hear it properly.” When Luke took another step towards the yawning abyss of the mine’s entrance, Lando grabbed him by the arm. 

“Let’s leave.”

“Can’t you hear it?”

“No, I cannot.”

Maybe if we get closer –” 

“Luke, please let’s go.” Lando tried to pull him away from the mine and felt Luke’s resistance.

“I just want to hear –” 

“Please.” 

Luke grimaced and shook his head as if to physically remove the thoughts from his head. Lando took his moment of distraction to pull Luke away from the mine, not stopping until they were back at the gates. Luke’s face had a pained expression that frightened Lando almost as much as the eerily empty outpost.

They didn’t speak until they had reached the safety of Tosche Station, gleaming under the early afternoon suns that were burning so hot it made the air shimmer.

“You’re okay?” Lando asked. Luke looked worryingly pale despite the heat.

“I can still hear it,” Luke replied, casting a glance northwest where Salarah lay abandoned. “I think you saved my life today.”

“It was about time, wasn’t it?” Lando tried to keep his tone light but knew he couldn’t keep his worry out of it completely. He reached for Luke’s hands and found them cold to the touch. “You’re not going back there, are you?”

“No.” Luke’s tone wasn’t convincing and he must have realised that because he repeated, more firmly, “No, I won’t.”

/

For once it was Lando who had picked their destination: the Shattered Basin in the southeast of the Jundland Wastes. Legend had it that a star had hit Tatooine at this very spot, shattering the Sevarin Mesa and knocking the entire planet off its course and closer to the suns, leading to the oceans drying out and leaving behind nothing but the Dune Sea.

Another legend said that the Hutt Boonta Hestilic Shad’ruu had risen to the heavens from this very spot and the destruction had been due to his attainment of godhood.

And according to research from the Imperial University, the Shattered Basin was the result of a meteor impact.

Whatever the truth, it was one of Tatooine’s more unique landmarks, an absolutely round valley in the middle of the Sevarin Mesa, filled with nothing but shattered rocks.

The Sevarin Mesa windfarms on its eastern edge were controlled and operated by the Empire which was why Lando had avoided going there so far. But, like many other things, the windfarms stood still during the sandstorm season.

“You want to see a bunch of broken rocks?” Luke asked when Lando told him where he wanted to go.

“All of Tatooine is a bunch of broken rocks, Luke,” Lando pointed out. “But yes, I want to see these broken rocks specifically.”

“What’s next, you want to jump down The Wound to see where it ends?”

“As fascinating as that would undoubtedly be, I wouldn’t do it on a speeder bike.”

“I’m curious why the Shattered Basin? It’s the first time you picked where we’re going and it’s that.”

“There are a lot of legends associated with it,” Lando replied. “I always liked places like that.”

“The Sand People say it’s the exit of the underworld. That the spirits of the dead they’ve thrown down The Wound pass from there to the afterlife.”

Lando hadn’t heard that one before. “So they think there’s a connection between the bottom of The Wound and the Shattered Basin?”

“Apparently,” Luke shrugged. “But they also believe Tatooine was once an ocean world, so…”

“Alright, alright, point taken.”

/

To get to the Sevarin Mesa, they had to cross the salt flats where a fresh breeze from the east blew the fine crystals right in their faces and despite having his face covered, Lando tasted salt on his lips. The wind kept up all the way across the southern Jundland Wastes, not strong enough to hinder their journey but a reminder of the season. 

More than once Luke stopped them to check the horizon with his quadnocs but so far it looked clear enough to continue eastwards. Soon the windfarms came into view, a huge complex spread out over most of the Sevarin Mesa. When in use they generated most of the power for MosEspa and the surrounding settlements. Unusually the complex was not walled in. There was nothing to raid here for the Tusken and Jawas knew better than to arouse the fury of the Hutt Clan, who were the true rulers of Tatooine no matter what the Empire liked to pretend.

They parked their bikes by one of the windfarms nearest to the edge and walked the rest. Lando had seen holos but none of them had prepared him for how huge the Shattered Basin really was or how it would feel to stand at the edge of something so symmetrical and natural at the same time.

He stood right at the edge, looking down at the mass of broken rocks that seemed to fan out from the middle point and understood why there were so many legends about this place. 

“Careful.” He felt Luke’s hand on his waist, holding him back and threw him a smile.

“Don’t worry, I won’t fall.”

“Knowing you, you probably want to climb down there.”

“And you don’t?”

“I didn’t say that. Just…how?”

“I brought ropes.”

The gentle slope of the Shattered Basin made it fairly easy to climb down and climbing up wouldn’t be a hardship either. While the walls were smooth, the broken rocks that filled the bottom were, to Lando’s surprise, solid and made moving around quite difficult. The suns stood high above them but this deep there was no wind, making the Shattered Basin unbearably hot. 

Reaching the middle though made it all worth it. The effect of having an entirely symmetrical circle around him was quite dizzying and standing here made him feel like he was in the centre of the galaxy.

Next to him, Luke let out a soft, disbelieving laugh. 

“Still wondering why I wanted to come here?”

“No,” Luke replied, winding an arm around Lando’s waist and leaning up for a kiss. “I get it now.”

Kissing Luke was not something Lando was going to miss a chance at doing, so he did, cradling the back of Luke’s head in his hand. It would’ve been a lovely kiss, too, if not for the sudden smell of blood in the air.

“Are you injured?” Lando asked, breaking the kiss.

“Iron.” Luke seemed too distracted to hear him. He peered up in the sky, shielding his eyes from the suns. “A storm’s coming. We need to leave.”

Trusting Luke to know what he was talking about, Lando followed him back across the Shattered Basin as quickly as he could.

Not quickly enough as it turned out. 

By the time they reached the wall of the Basin, one of the suns had already been blocked out by the sand cloud and on the opposite side of the basin red sand was already coming down the sides like a waterfall. They would never make it outside in time.

“There!” Luke pointed towards a crack in the wall, hopefully the entrance to a cave deep enough to shelter them from the storm. Lando had seen enough skeletons to know what could happen to living things left outside in a sandstorm.

They made their way along the wall towards the crack while their world turned into a haze of red sand and sharp wind, scratching their glasses and filling their eyes and nose and mouth even through the cloth wrapped around their heads.

Luke reached it first, stretching his hand out behind him so Lando could take it and let himself be pulled forward. Darkness swallowed them as they entered. A few meters from the entrance Luke stopped and Lando bumped straight into him.

“Sorry,” he coughed as he pulled off his cloth and glasses. Behind them, the world had been enveloped in red sand, giving the opening an ominous glow. The iron stench had followed them inside but at least the air was easier to breathe.

“You’re okay?” Luke asked, his hand squeezing Lando’s for a moment.

“I’m fine,” Lando reassured him. He cast a glance backwards. How long would the storm last? They had both brought their bags and Luke had his rifle but the narrow tunnel they had fled into wasn’t exactly comfortable.

“Lando?”

“Hm?”

“Do you see that?” Luke was looking in the opposite direction, deeper into the tunnel where Lando could see a faint white light illuminating the walls. 

“Do you think someone’s here?” What else could be reason for the light? 

“I think we should check it out.”

As much as Lando would’ve preferred not to, they didn’t have much of a choice. The tunnel was too narrow for them to stay in and who knew how long this storm was going to last.

Luke took his rifle from his shoulder. It wasn’t going to be of much use in this narrow, winding passage but might do its job as an intimidation tactic.

Strangely enough, the light didn’t seem to get brighter the closer they came to it and when they squeezed through another tight corner, Lando could see why.

An entire cave was lit up like star-studded sky, bright white dots, some smaller, some bigger, some hanging down like vines, all across the ceiling. Lando had never seen anything like it before. 

Going by the noise he made, Luke hadn’t either. “Where’s the light coming from?”

“I have no idea,” Lando replied, slack-jawed at the sight. His hand found Luke’s, tangling their fingers together and holding on tight as they slowly made their way deeper into the cave. It was wider than before, an old river bed maybe, and cooler, much cooler than outside. Damper, too. In the strange white light, Lando could make out lines of razor moss all across the walls.

The cave was branching off in multiple directions, leading deeper into – Lando wasn’t sure what but remembered what Luke had told him about the Sand People believing this place to be connected to the bottom of The Wound.

Perhaps they had been right all along.

“It’s so beautiful,” Luke said as he shouldered his rifle again and stretched out his free hand toward the lights. They were too far above ground for him to reach though, but the gesture – Luke reaching for the stars – let a warm feeling blossom inside Lando’s chest.

“We could camp here,” Lando said when he spotted a wall that wasn’t covered in razor moss and would allow them to lean against it without cutting their backs into ribbons, when Luke suddenly dropped his hand.

“I can hear something.”

“People?” Lando asked with a sinking feeling in his stomach as he saw the faraway look on Luke’s face.

“No, it’s a…it’s a song.”

“Luke –” Lando grabbed his arm, prepared to hold him back by force if necessary.

“It’s not like in the outpost,” Luke replied. “It’s a better song. Warm. Gentle.” He slipped Lando’s grip, leaving him with no choice but to follow him. If Lando had learned anything in his life then it was that some things were better left alone, not explored.

Luke followed the music only he could hear with quick steps, confidently weaving through narrow passageways and around tight corners, leaving Lando to catch up with him. When he did, it was in the middle of another large cavern, and Luke was kneeling in the middle of it, his back to Lando.

“Luke?” Lando called to him cautiously. “Are you okay?”

“Come, take a look.” 

Lando approached slowly until he saw what Luke was holding on his open palm: a crystal, blue and glowing, pulsating like a star. “Is that…kyber?” He had seen that before, after all the Empire paid a good price for any kyber deposits pointed out to them. Except that the kyber crystals he had seen before had all been in natural, irregular shapes whereas this one had clearly been cut into its current form.

“I don’t know. But it’s singing.”

Lando had been to some weird corners of the galaxy and he knew to keep an open mind, so if Luke said the crystal was singing, Lando believed him. However, he also remembered Salarah. 

“Luke.” Luke glanced up at him when Lando touched his shoulder. “We should go.”

“You’re right.” A rueful smile appeared on Luke’s face, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, just let’s go.”

Carefully, Luke put the crystal on the ground and covered it with sand until the light was no longer visible.

“Could you hear it at all?” he asked once they were back in the first cave near the entrance, the smell of iron seeping inside.

Lando shook his head. Remembering Salarah, he was glad he didn’t hear whatever was calling to Luke.

The sandstorm broke a few hours later, leaving the ground of the Shattered Basin covered in a thick layer of red sand, making it tricky to navigate through. In a stroke of luck, the ropes they had used to climb down were still attached and while their speeder bikes had been knocked over, they were still functioning.

Both suns were still up, giving him and Luke enough time to get back home. Sometimes though, Luke turned his head and Lando could tell he was still hearing that damned crystal sing.

/

Weeks before the Boonta Eve people were already talking about it. It was very much a local holiday, marking the end of the storm season and the start of harvest, and limited to Tatooine. As far as Lando knew not even other planets that were connected to the Hutt Clan celebrated it.

Of course, the number of people that actually believed Boonta Hestilic Shad'ruu had attained godhood was somewhere in the single digits but it was a planet-wide excuse to take time off, visit friends and family and eat and drink as much as possible, Luke told him. 

He and his friends were planning to drive out to Ben’s Mesa to see a part of the annual Boonta Eve classic, a pod race. 

“Are you going to take Fixer’s pod racer for a spin?” Lando asked once Luke had finished excitedly describing the race course to him. They were sitting together in the lounge in Tosche Station, for once not having returned from a trip. Luke’s uncle had needed him on the farm and Lando had judged the weather too windy to risk going.

“And get killed by him when I inevitably crash it into The Needle?” Luke scoffed. “If I even make it that far. Humans cannot be pod racers. Our reflexes aren’t quick enough. Well,” he amended, “supposedly there was one human winner decades ago but they were probably only humanoid.”

“You’re a pretty good pilot, I think you could pull it off,” Lando said, although he had never seen a pod race before. They used to hold them on Mallastaire before the Empire but not anymore. Races weren’t really his thing. Too much chance of outside interference and too many things left to luck. He preferred to risk his money on things where he could control the outcome. “Why don’t you go see the entire race?” 

“Because MosEspa is too far away for a day trip and it’ll be impossible to find a place to stay there during Boonta Eve,” Luke scoffed as if that should’ve been obvious.

Lando didn’t bother asking why he didn’t watch the race on the holo-net. Out here there was no connection and the few places in Anchorhead that offered one would be packed. The whole thing gave Lando an idea though. He hadn’t spent much of his pay check for the last eight months and this could be an opportunity to do something for Luke.

Stars, he sounded like a romantic. There was something about the Tatooine air that brought out the worst in him. Or perhaps it was the clothes. Maybe he was keeping all his good sense in his capes as Han had accused him of once.

None of these thoughts stopped him from getting two tickets for the race and a room for the night the next day when he went to Anchorhead under some made up pretext about talking to the Czerka representative there.

“You did what?” Luke stared at him as if Lando had just declared he’d bring down the rains on Tatooine.

“I got us two tickets to the Boonta Eve Classic,” he repeated.

“But that’s…” Luke trailed off, looking disbelievingly at the tickets on display on Lando’s comlink. “Even Biggs and his family only went a few times because it’s so hard to get tickets.”

“Czerka’s a big cooperation with a long history on Tatooine, so it wasn’t too hard,” Lando lied. Czerka didn’t give a womp rat’s ass about him, nor he about them. “I only had to find a place to stay for the night. So, are you accepting my invitation?”

“Of course!” Luke yelled, excitedly throwing his arms around Lando and kissing him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Lando laughed and tipped Luke’s head back, kissing him properly. While he didn’t care for the race, it was also an opportunity to get Luke alone for the night, in a proper bed. An opportunity he had been aching for, for months and he’d be damned if he let this one slip through his fingers.

“I’ve got to ask my aunt and uncle, though.”

Well, there was that.

/

Luke returned the next morning, shortly after Carmie, and joined them for breakfast.

“What did they say?” Lando asked over caf, fruit and pastries. 

“My aunt and my uncle have asked that you come over for lunch first before they give their permission.”

Lando felt a momentary bout of panic. He had never met any of his previous partner’s parents or guardians or anything of the sort unless they had all been involved in the same job. This was why he usually didn’t stay in one place this long. This was why he didn’t commit to one location or one person, not since L3 and meeting her parents had never been an option, thankfully enough.

“Of course,” he said out loud, forcing a relaxed smile onto his lips. 

“Permission for what?” Fixer asked while Carmie looked as if she already knew. Of course, her family and Luke’s were neighbours and nothing spread faster than gossip.

“I’ve got tickets for the Boonta Eve Classic,” Lando answered casually.

Fixer let out a whistle. “Didn’t know Czerka had seats. None of the other prospectors ever went.”

“I don’t think it’s popular outside of Tatooine,” Carmie replied.

“It’s not,” Lando confirmed. “There used to be races on Mallastaire but that was before the Empire.”

“Sounds like other planets don’t know how to have a good time,” Fixer said, earning a scowl from Luke and Carmie.

“Maybe other planets know how to have fun,” Luke replied.

“Half of the racers die each year,” Carmie pointed out.

“As if you wouldn’t race if you got the chance,” Fixer told Luke. “I know you and Biggs went out to fly the Beggar’s Canyon before.”

“You’re the one who’s fixing up a pod racer,” Luke countered.

Carmie nudged Lando’s side. “Help me with the dishes?” she asked quietly.

“My pleasure,” Lando replied.

Luke and Fixer didn’t even notice that they left, too engrossed in their argument. Carmie let out a sigh when the kitchen door closed behind them.

“Laze lost a race against Luke once; did he ever tell you that?” she asked as she put the dishes Lando handed her into the sonicator.

“Neither of them ever told me that,” Lando replied, leaning against the kitchen counter. He liked Carmie. It couldn’t have been easy being the only girl of her age in a small and remote community like this but there was a softness to her that he hoped she’d preserve, even on a harsh world like Tatooine.

“It’s a sore spot for both of them. For Laze because he lost and for Luke because all the boys were betting against him, except Biggs of course.” Carmie poured herself another cup of caf and one for Lando as well after a questioning glance in his direction.

“Can I ask you something?” Lando asked, taking the cup with a nod of thanks.

“Sure.” 

“I know it’s personal but why do you never stay overnight? I mean you and Fixer are – “

“ – engaged?” she finished for him, a smile curling her lips. “I know you’re from off-world and this must seem strange to you but we’re old-fashioned here I suppose. Staying overnight with someone is a serious declaration, and if my family let me stay, they’d have to accept Laze.”

“He should cook for them. I bet your family would let you marry tomorrow if they tried his pika cakes,” Lando joked.

“Perhaps,” Carmie laughed. “It’ll be easier once Luke’s gone. It’s nice that you’re doing this for him.”

“Who says I’m not a fan of the races myself?”

Carmie smiled. “Your face when you look at him.”

They returned from the kitchen to Luke and Fixer having moved on to debate the racers that were starting this year and their chances. Not a riveting topic for Lando and Carmie either, so they made small talk about the newest gossip around the Jundland Wastes until it was time for Lando and Luke to leave.

Fixer made a joke about it having been nice to know Lando and asked where to send his effects after his demise, for which Lando flipped him off. He tried to calm his nerves by telling himself that this was no different than meeting a new business contact but the idea didn’t want to stick.

He had met Own Lars and Beru Whitesun before of course. Multiple times even, short encounters at Tosche Station and once by pure chance in Anchorhead. But this time wasn’t just going to be a quick chat about Tusken sightings and Jawa trade routes. 

Lando felt out of his depth.

He didn’t like feeling out of his depth.

The Lars homestead wasn’t much different from the other moisture farms in the Jundland Wastes. Like the others it was mostly built underground to keep the heat out, though it was larger than many of the others and had been in the family for generations.

Lando knew that Luke was the son of Owen Lars’ brother, though looking at him, most people would guess he was Beru’s relation. They had the same fair hair, the same bright blue eyes and the same kind smile.

She kept up most of the conversation of lunch, easy topics like his and Luke’s trips across Tatooine, how he liked it here and other such small talk. Owen threw in a comment here and there and Luke was mostly silent.

It wasn’t until dessert that Owen turned to him and said, “I heard you have tickets for the Boonta Eve Classic and want to Luke to come with you.”

“With your permission of course.”

Owen snorted. “And you want to stay overnight there with him.”

“Yes, I’ve found accommodation.”

“Why?”

The question surprised Lando just a little bit. “Well, I know Luke’s going to the Academy soon, so this may be his last chance to see the race and I’ve not seen any pod races at all.”

“And what are you going to do after the harvest? Prospector’s commission only lasts a year.”

This was a question Lando was prepared for. “I’ll return to my old job. A friend and I run an independent transport company.”

“You’re a smuggler.” There was a glint in Owen’s eyes like he thought he had caught Lando off-guard. 

“Occasionally.”

“Didn’t think you’d admit it.” Owen let out a guttural laugh. 

“Luke has been up-front about his father’s career,” Lando replied. “I didn’t think you’d be shocked.”

“You’ve been here long enough that you know things work differently on Tatooine,” Beru said. “But I…we think it’s good for Luke to learn from someone more experienced before he leaves.”

Did she imply what Lando thought she was implying?

“So, can I go with Lando?” Luke asked impatiently.

Lando watched Beru and Owen exchange a loaded set of looks that he couldn’t decipher but the silent exchange ended with Owen nodding. “You can.”

The atmosphere was considerably less tense after that, with Luke even participating in the conversation. Both Owen and Beru were exasperated by Carmie’s family’s obstination when it came to her relationship with Fixer, so common ground was easily found. 

As the first sun was sinking towards the horizon, Luke pulled him aside, whispering he wanted to show him something.

“Don’t stay out too late,” Owen warned them, when Luke climbed onto the speeder bike behind Lando.

“Where are we going?” Lando asked over his shoulder, Luke’s arms securely tight around his middle.

“Just go, I’ll direct you.”

Luke steered them to the south, eventually angling them slightly towards the west. They hadn’t gone in this direction before. The further south you went, the quicker the heat rose and nothing inhabited the Southern Dune Sea, not even Jawas or Sand People.

However Luke stopped them before they got anywhere near the desert, just as the first sun sank past the horizon and the other one bathed the landscape in shades of orange and red. In front of them a giant rock formation curved like a bridge over the flats, dominating the entire landscape surrounding it. Even Lando, who had seen countless marvels of nature across the galaxy, found himself mesmerised by the sight.

Although when he made a move to steer the speeder closer, Luke stopped him. “This is Tusken territory, we shouldn’t go any closer.”

Lando had learned enough about the Sand People to heed Luke’s warning. Although he had never met one yet, he had seen the destruction they left in the wake of their raids.

“And yet you brought me all the way out here,” he teased. 

“I wanted you to see this,” Luke replied, wrapping his arms tighter around Lando. “I think it’s beautiful.”

Lando turned his head so he could see Luke, the red glow of dust making him look even younger and softer than usual. He swallowed down the words that would’ve been too honest and instead kissed Luke.

The angle was a little awkward but then Luke shifted behind him and suddenly the kiss was better, deeper with Luke’s arms securely around him and Luke’s chest strong and reliable against his back. The suns were sinking in the horizon and they were the only two people around. 

It felt spectacular.

/

Getting a high-class hotel room during the Boonta Eve in MosEspa was perhaps not the wisest financial decision Lando had ever made but after nearly a year of sleeping on a pallet made of dried grass and using a paste to literally scrape the dirt from his skin, it was a deserved luxury.

Luke’s eyes became as round as pikas and he stopped talking about the race when Lando led him inside. No wonder, one night here cost more than his aunt and uncle made in a month. The high ceiling had a step like-design with artful lamps hanging down over a holo-fountain and the floor was laid out with off-world marble. For the first time in months, Lando breathed the cool, fresh air of a climate-controlled environment and let his eyes roam over aesthetically pleasing furniture and tasteful art. 

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Luke asked, glancing around as if he couldn’t decide what to look at first.

“Why wouldn’t we be?” Lando replied, guiding Luke towards the reception with a hand on the small of his back. The counter was made out of dark wood that smelled as fragrant and expensive as it undoubtedly had been. “Good evening, my name’s Calrissian.”

Hotels of this class only employed droids behind the scenes if at all. On many planets, especially those that still had slavery, organic labour was just as cheap as droid labour. The receptionist here was a pretty, pink-skinned Twi’lek woman, dressed in an outfit that was inspired but clearly not authentically Tatooinian. “Good evening,” she greeted them, “I’ve got your reservation here. One night, is that correct?”

Lando confirmed that it was and she told them about the restaurant, spa and other amenities of the hotel as well where to find their room, without even batting an eye at their clothes that set them apart from the rest of the clientele quite drastically.

“I can’t believe you got us a room here,” Luke whispered as they made their way to their room. Or rather rooms. Lando had booked an entire suite for them, not just a single room. 

“Your aunt and your uncle did ask me to introduce you to new experiences,” Lando replied. The hallways were marble, too, and on top of that laid out with the thin, brightly coloured carpets that could be found in many Tatooine homes, except that these ones here were of the highest quality.

“I don’t think they meant this,” Luke said. 

Their rooms were on the top of the building, a bedroom, a living room, a bathroom and a balcony-style suite that was encased in holo-walls to show an idyllic view of the Dune Sea. The Western Dune Sea, Lando thought going by the colour of the sand and shook his head when he realised it. He really had been here for too long.

Complimentary ha’kak bean tea was laid out on the coffee table. It was also made of real wood, as was most of the furniture, even the large wardrobe on one side of the bedroom. It was lavishly but tastefully decorated and Lando felt in his element.

“What’s that?” Luke had gone into the bathroom and was looking at a large, transparisteel enclosed shower that took up the entire far side of the room. More than enough space for two people. Of course, Luke wouldn’t know what it was when even Biggs’ family could only afford a sonic shower.

Lando explained it, earning him more incredulous looks from Luke. “You mean just stand underneath it while water falls down on you?”

“Pretty much.”

“You should show me.”

“If you insist.” Lando slid his arm around Luke’s waist and pulled him backwards against his chest, pressing his mouth against the side of Luke’s neck. Luke tasted like salt and sweat and sand and Lando couldn’t get enough of him.

“Finally,” Luke huffed, pushing back against Lando and craning his neck to give him more space. 

“You could’ve said something,” Lando replied before licking at a small spot just behind Luke’s ear.

“I brought you…kriff…I brought you to every remote location on the planet. For months.” Luke turned around in his arms and looked up at Lando accusingly. “You just wouldn’t take a hint.”

There was a faint possibility Lando had been cockblocking himself. Oh well, there was no need to dwell on the past, he thought, taking Luke’s chin between his fingers, tracing his bottom lip with his thumb. “Perhaps I’m not the kind to ravish a handsome man like you on a rock in the wild.”

Luke took Lando’s hand and pressed it against his belt. “Are you going to ravish me now?”

Lando opened Luke’s belt with one hand and tipped his head back with the other. “Gladly.”

/

Between the shower, the couch in the living room, the bed and then the shower again to clean up, they made up somewhat for the last months. Eventually they collapsed happily on the sheets of their bed, their desire satisfied for now. 

Lando reached out and traced the tan lines on Luke’s skin, kissed the scars and nicks that a living on Tatooine had left him with and when he was done, let Luke do the same to him.

Luke traced the string of numbers and letters on his side. “What’s this? Were you a stormtrooper?”

“No.” Lando’s heart skipped a beat. Of course Luke would ask after his tattoo. Especially since it was the only one he had.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Luke said quickly when the silence stretched. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“It’s fine,” Lando reassured him as he was struggling how much he should tell Luke of the truth. “I used to fly with a first mate. Her name was Elle. She was…outspoken, direct, called me out on my bullshit.” Lando let out a laugh as he remembered L3, and despite nine years having passed he could feel tears sting at the corners of his eyes. “But she always had my back. Saved me from more than one bad decision.”

“What happened to her?”

“She died. And I lost our ship not long after so I decided to get this tattoo in her honour instead. It was the least I could do for the only person I ever loved.”

He only realised how his words must have sounded to Luke when he watched the light dim in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry you lost her. She sounds incredible.”

“She was,” Lando said. “Don’t force me to get a tattoo of you,” he added and watched Luke’s face brighten like the suns rising. He leaned over and kissed Lando, slow and sweet, and Lando wanted nothing more than to press Luke into the sheets again, but he was not as young as Luke anymore. 

“I want to go with you,” Luke said after breaking the kiss, his bright blue eyes focused on Lando. “When you leave here in a few months.”

“Thought you wanted to go to the Academy,” Lando replied, running a hand through Luke’s hair and watching Luke lean into his touch.

“I do, but, if my uncle finds an excuse for me not to go again, I’ll leave with you.”

“I’d like that,” Lando said, his voice feeling unnaturally rough. His friendship with Han and Chewbacca was great but having a partner at his side again, someone to have his back unconditionally like it had been with L3? That was something else entirely. “My ship needs two pilots anyway.”

Luke laughed and crawled on top of him and maybe Lando wasn’t as young as he used to be anymore but that didn’t mean he couldn’t show Luke a good time.

/

“Lando Calrissian.” 

He looked up from where he had unloaded equipment from his bike. With harvest season being upon the Jundland Wastes, Lando had to make do without Luke’s company for his trips. He missed him but he also knew that as soon as the season was over, he was going to take Luke away to the stars. Han could call him a romantic all he wanted but Lando knew how rarely the universe gave second chances. He had failed L3, he wasn’t going to fail Luke.

“Ben Kenobi, right?” Lando asked even though he recognised the other man immediately. This time Kenobi did not pretend to be harmless and Lando found himself squaring his shoulders, ready for a confrontation. “It’s been a while.”

“We need to talk.”

“About what?”

“Luke.”

“Don’t see how that’s any of your business, old man.”

He had not seen the ignition of a lightsaber coming but Lando had too much control over himself to step back or even flinch.

Kenobi looked faintly impressed. “This is not the first time you’ve met one of us.”

“No, not by far,” Lando replied, although Kenobi was a far cry from the two ‘Jedi’ on the Ghost crew. Captain Hera Syndulla was far more intimidating than most other people Lando had met. Not Kenobi though, who had chosen the place of confrontation well. Out here, who would be able to tell if Lando had been killed by Sand People or their unassuming, neighbourly hermit?

“I’m not here to kill you,” Kenobi said but he also didn’t lower his weapon.

“Reading my thoughts?”

“I don’t have to read your thoughts to know what a criminal like you is thinking. I’ve met many like you over the years.” There was a note of disdain in Kenobi’s voice.

“I’m one of a kind,” Lando replied. 

“You’re in over your head.”

“Hardly. I know exactly what I’m doing. That’s just good business.”

“Not with Luke.” Kenobi’s eyes seemed to grow harder as he said Luke’s name.

“Are you trying to tell me he’s one of your lot?” Lando scoffed.

Kenobi’s silence was answer enough.

“So what?”

“You want to take him off-world.”

“Luke wants to leave,” Lando interrupted him. “I’m just keeping him company.”

“Luke’s uncle will never give him permission to go to the Academy. You’ve realised that and yet you want to take him there anyway, right to his doom,” Kenobi said. 

“I know the Empire can be bad but that’s a bit gloomy, old man.”

“Have you ever met an Inquisitor?”

Lando clenched his jaw. “What if I have.”

Suddenly screams filled Lando’s head, Luke’s screams, followed by pain, fear, darkness, anger, resentment, fury – “Stop.”

Without realising it, Lando had dropped down to his knees, breathing hard as the vision slowly ebbed away but the memory of it remained like a wound in his mind.

“By taking Luke away from here you’d deliver him directly to the Empire and this is what would happen to him.” There was no room for doubt in Kenobi’s tone.

Closing his eyes and pressing his lips together, Lando gathered his resolve, getting back on his feet. At least Kenobi had dropped the blasted lightsaber.

“So he won’t go to the Academy,” Lando said, trying to sound normal.

“And how long before you run into trouble with the Empire again?” Kenobi asked.

“I can keep him safe,” Lando replied, meeting Kenobi’s eyes without hesitation.

Kenobi made a wheezing sound like a mocking laugh. “You can hardly keep yourself safe, Lando Calrissian. Sooner or later you will lead Luke to his destruction.”

“No,” Lando insisted. “The Empire is already on Tatooine.”

“And yet you decided it was a good place to hide,” Kenobi replied. “Luke has been hidden here for eighteen years despite the Empire looking for him. He is safer here than anywhere else.”

“You can’t keep Luke here forever,” Lando said without looking at Kenobi.

“He’ll stay as long as his uncle needs him. And his uncle will need him next year and the year after and at some point age and habits will keep him here instead.”

Lando shook his head. “We’ve already made plans. We were going to leave at the end of the harvest season, with or without his uncle’s blessing.”

“Yes, Luke would leave with you but not on his own.”

“So what you want me to break his heart so he stays here?” Lando asked despite knowing the answer already.

“To save him, yes. And you will do it, knowing what awaits him if you don’t.”

“I know bantha shit!” Lando exploded. “You could’ve put anything in my head. Why should I trust you?”

Kenobi met his eyes calmly. “Because in your heart you know it to be true.”

Lando held his gaze for as long as he could stand but in the end he did blink first. “Promise me he’ll be safe.”

“I promise.” Kenobi rested his hand on Lando’s shoulder. “The sooner you leave, the easier it will be, for both of you.”

“Don’t patronise me, old man,” Lando replied, shrugging his hand off. “I know what I have to do.”

/

He left that same night, risky, sure, but it meant he would be in Anchorhead by sunrise and could take the first shuttle to the nearest spaceport and then go off-world with the first ship if Han and the Falcon were too far away to pick him up quickly.

They wouldn’t miss him at Tosche Station until the evening and maybe not even then, not with everyone being so busy with harvest. 

His letter of resignation lay in his room, dated and signed, with no explanation as to why he was leaving his post except for the usual empty phrases. He tried not to imagine how they’d react to finding him gone. 

Lando sold the speeder without haggling for the price. He changed back into his old clothes in Junix’ Joint’s refresher, ignoring how strange they felt after almost a year and bypassing the bar without remembering how often he and Luke had been here.

Biggs would probably rejoice in his sudden departure, Lando thought bitterly. And he would no doubt try to fill the hole Lando had left. Stars, he hoped Kenobi would give Biggs the same vision of Luke’s future he had given him.

He found a public off-world comlink at the shuttle station and thankfully got through to the Falcon without any problems. And because the universe seemed to be lenient for now, it was Chewbacca and not Han answering him.

“Hey Chewie,” Lando tried to sound as if he wasn’t breathing through a lungful of broken glass. “What are you guys up to?”

“No, it’s not really important. How’s my ship?”

“She’ll always be mine no matter what Han says.”

“Or you, sorry big guy.”

“Look, I had a change of plans. How fast can you guys be on Tatooine?”

“You know me, always getting into trouble.”

“Six hours? Great, I’ll be in MosEisley in eight. See you then.”

/

The first thing that happened when Lando stepped onto the Falcon was Chewbacca hugged him. And for a moment, Lando let him. 

“Didn’t know you missed me that much, big guy,” he smiled up at Chewbacca, knowing that it wasn’t convincing.

Chewie, undeterred, asked him if he was okay.

“Always.”

Even Han only took one look at his face and then simply slapped his shoulder and said, “good to have you back.”

“Thanks for picking me up,” Lando forced himself to say. If Han was being nice to him then he truly had to look like hell.

“No bother. Anything else you need to pick up or are we good to go?”

“The sooner we leave, the better.”

Han and Chewbacca headed for the cockpit while Lando slunk away to his cabin. The Falcon looked and felt the same, he could hear her engines hum and beyond that something else.

“Hey babe,” he said once the door had closed behind him, resting a hand on the wall. “I’m back.”

From the window he saw MosEisley becoming smaller and smaller as the Falcon lifted up into the atmosphere. Anchorhead was just south of it and then – Lando blinked rapidly as he recognised the landmarks of the Jundland Wastes just before the Falcon left the atmosphere and Tatooine was nothing more than a bright orange dirtball, unremarkable, backwater, like hundreds of others of its kind.

Those were not tears in his eyes, Lando told himself, just leftover sand and exhaustion from the long journey. Around him, the Falcon hummed comfortingly as she jumped into hyperspace.

/

Four years later, after some of the most difficult decisions Lando had ever made, Luke Skywalker fell literally into his arms.

The Force, Lando decided as he cradled Luke to his chest, had a twisted sense of humour.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me [ here](http://smaragdbird.tumblr.com/) on tumblr

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Art for Long Ago in a Place of Hearts and Ghosts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24012340) by [Amrita_Vein](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amrita_Vein/pseuds/Amrita_Vein)




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